First Proclamation
The first is a long anticipated proclamation imposing visa and travel restrictions on the nationals of 19 countries, with an effective date of 12:01 am ET on June 9, 2025.
This nationality-based proclamation suspends both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa issuance for twelve of the affected countries; for the remaining seven countries, it suspends issuance of immigrant visas and only B, F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas. There are also various exceptions that may apply to nationals of any affected country, and importantly, no nonimmigrant or immigrant visa that was issued before June 9 will be revoked as a result of the new ban.
The nationality-based proclamation suspends both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa issuance to the United States for nationals of the following twelve countries:
- Afghanistan
- Burma
- Chad
- Republic of Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Libya
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Yemen
For nationals of the following seven countries, the proclamation suspends immigrant visa issuance, as well as nonimmigrant visa issuance in the B-1, B-2, F, M, and J visa classifications:
- Burundi
- Cuba
- Laos
- Sierra Leone
- Togo
- Turkmenistan
- Venezuela
For the seven countries with partial nonimmigrant suspensions, the proclamation also directs consular officers to reduce the validity of any visa issued in a non-suspended nonimmigrant classification “to the extent permitted by law.” It is not yet clear by what measure consulates will limit visa validity.
By its terms, the proclamation only applies to nationals of the above 19 countries who:
- Are outside of the United States on June 9, 2025; and
- Do not have a valid visa on June 9, 2025.
There are exceptions to the nationality-based ban - further details can be found at Fragomen's website.
Second Proclamation
The second proclamation bans visa issuance and entry to foreign nationals seeking to enter the United States in F, M or J status in order to begin attendance at Harvard University. This ban is effective immediately and will remain in effect for at least six months. A court challenge is anticipated.
This alert, for informational purposes only, was prepared by Fragomen and originally published here. If you have any questions, please contact us.